Light and quick Japanese pickles

These were the side vegetable dishes of my Vegan Japanese dinner. For those of you who missed some 'episodes', the antipasto was raw avocado sashimi, and the main Fried tofu puffs simmered in vegetable broth. I wanted to have a cooked and warm side vegetable dish, and a raw one. Of course variety, colour and difference in texture were as important as taste. For the warm vegetables I used broccoli and cauliflowers with a very easy miso sauce (click here for the recipe) and some easy pickles.

Quick Japanese Cucumber and Radish Pickles

1 cucumber (possibly the short Japanese type)

A few young radishes, with leaves

Salt (best to use unrefined salt)

Wash the cucumber and cut the into slices, and then into quarters. Clean the radishes well and then cut them into halves or quarters (depending on size). Leave the young leaves whole but trim excess stalk.

Place the radishes, leaves and cucumber pieces into a bowl and add 1 tsp of salt. Cover with with something heavy to press the vegetables down (for example fit another bowl on top and then put a heavy rock on top). Leave for a few hours (preferably overnight). Before serving rinse off all the salted water, squeeze lightly and drain well. Arrange the pickles on a small side plate. 

I like to grow radishes in pots, easy to pick as I need them...

 Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Broccoli and cauliflower with miso dressing

These were the side vegetable dishes of my Vegan Japanese dinner. For those of you who missed some 'episodes', the antipasto was raw avocado sashimi, and the main Fried tofu puffs simmered in vegetable broth. I wanted to have a cooked and warm side vegetable dish, and a raw one. Of course variety, colour and difference in texture were as important as taste. For the warm vegetables I used broccoli and cauliflowers with a very easy miso sauce:

Broccoli and cauliflowers with easy miso sauce

Ingredients:

A few broccoli and cauliflower florets

Hot vegetable stock (I used the broth strained from cooking the Fried tofu puffs simmered in vegetable stock - recycling is everything in Japanese Vegetarian Cuisine!)

Miso paste

Steam the broccoli and cauliflowers for a few minutes (they should be cooked but not mushy, nor too crunchy). In a small ball thin down about a tbsp of miso paste with some hot vegetable broth to make a thin paste. Arrange the broccoli and cauliflower florets in pretty serving bowls or small plates and drizzle just a little miso dressing on each dish. Don't overdress, as miso is quite salty, but leave some miso sauce in a side bowl for diners to help themselves if you like, or use the remaining miso sauce to make miso soup (this will be the last course, recipe coming soon).

 Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Fried tofu puffs simmered in vegetable broth

This is the second recipe of my Vegan Japanese dinner. The starter was avocado sashimi, and this is the 'main' (I am using the word main as this is the 'main' protein course). Then there will be two vegetable dishes (one cooked and one raw) to accompany the tofu, and to finish in traditional Japanese style, the rice and the soup.

But now for the recipe:

1 bag of fried tofu puffs (in NZ they are available in Chinese stores)

1.5 l vegetable stock

1 celery stalk

1 carrot

Onion weed (or garlic chives) to finish

Soy or tamari sauce to serve (optional)

If you don't know what onion weed is you can find it here, now that it is spring it grows wild everywhere in Oratia, and I forage heaps of it!.

Wash the onion weeds and chop finely. Keep aside (the flowers too). Chop the celery and peel and cut the carrot into thick irregular pieces, I like to make them look a little 'geometric' to look pretty alongside the tofu puffs. Bring the stock to boil, then add the cut vegetables and tofu puffs. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked, drain (keep the vegetable stock aside as you will need it for a sauce and the soup later on - I will publish those recipes in the next few days). Serve the tofu puffs and vegetables in pretty bowls, and top with chopped onion weeds, finishing with some onion weed flowers to decorate (and eat, as they are edible). Serve with soy or tamari sauce. 

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Avocado sashimi

This is the first course of my Japanese Vegan and gluten free dinner...
 Raw food is better as a starter, apparently it gets the digestion going, and this is easy to make and really delicious.

For each person you will need:

Half avocado, not mushy

Lemon juice

A little wasabi paste

Japanese pickled ginger

Soy or Tamari sauce

Slice the half avocado like in the picture, not to thin and not to thick (diners need to be able to pick up the slices with chopsticks) then spray with lemon juice. Serve with wasabi, pickled ginger and gluten free soy or tamari sauce on the side.   

 Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Pumpkin and red onion soup with thyme and rosemary flowers

Ingredients:

1 red onion

2 tbsp olive oil

2 kg pumpkin flesh

1 celery stick with leaves

2 l vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

A few sprigs of thyme

A few rosemary flowers

Instructions

 Chop the red onion and sauté with olive oil. Add cut and peeled pumpkin, a celery stalk with leaves and some vegetable stock. When the vegetables are cooked blend the soup, adjust with salt and pepper and then decorate with fresh thyme and rosemary flowers (these can be eaten and will give the soup a lovely rosemary flavor without any of the woody leaves!).

Photos and Recipe by Alessandra Zecchini